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Giveaway is now closed. A huge and hearty thanks to all who entered! Click this link to find out the winner! Please know that I appreciate each and everyone of you…for your kind words and loving support. It’s blessed my heart in more ways than you’ll ever know!! xoxo

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Hello friends, and thanks for stopping by today! Before I begin, I wanted to remind you to follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, HomeTalk and Facebook, so that you don’t miss another post! 😉

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I have some very exciting news! Currently, our home is in one of my all-time favorite magazines…American Farmhouse Style!! I’m thrilled to share with you that AFS chose to put our home on the FRONT COVER, and they gave us a 12-page spread! So crazy, and it’s on newsstands now!

I’m seriously honored and humbled that one of my favorite magazines shared our home! So, to the editors of AFS, if you’re reading this post, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! xoxo

So, to celebrate this exciting news, I’m giving away this magazine, plus some of my other favorite goodies, to one lucky winner! Entering is easy, and all you have to do is head to my Facebook page for all the details! (Please click this link to enter.)

Here are the fun prizes you’ll win: some beautiful framed art, a set of flour-sack napkins, a rustic chalkboard, and a signed copy of the latest American Farmhouse Style magazine!

Thanks to all of you for your sweet encouragement and support as I continue on this adventurous blogging journey! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at TheRusticBoxwood@gmail.com, or comment below, and I’ll get back with you as soon as I can! Have an awesome day!

Hey y’all! Thanks for joining me today! Before I forget, I wanted to remind y’all to follow along on my social media as I share inspiring photos and tips for the home. You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest! I’d love for you to stop by and say hey! 😉

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I don’t know about you, but I LOVE the thrill of the hunt when it comes to finding pretty accessories for our home. I don’t care what it is — an antique frame, paint-by-number artwork, vintage crates, furniture, old books, pretty dishes — you name it, I’ll find it. Lol!

Well, this thrift-store “hobby” of mine started a few years ago, when the world of Pinterest began. When my sweet friend, Paige, introduced me to this fun website that lets you save any and all inspiring photos, I was hooked on all things decorating and diy. All of a sudden, I desired to make lots of changes to our home, and that was gonna require either A. lots of money or B. doing things myself. I chose the latter route…partly by choice, but mostly because of necessity. And you know that old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” That, my friends, became very true for me when all of a sudden I wanted to renovate every area of our home! I had to be frugal, and that meant shopping at second-hand stores and looking past the delapidated state of an item to see its potential.

With that said, if I can find awesome deals and treasures at thrift stores, so can you!! Join me as I share with you 12 tips to scoring some budget-friendly home decor! But I’m warning you now….You’re gonna be hooked, and once you’re hooked, there’s no turning back! 😉

1. Look for discounts in the store. For example, Goodwill has the “color of the week” for half-off prices, and every Sunday, a new color represents the discount. There’s usually a big sign just as you enter, announcing which color is 50% off. Also, our local Goodwill offers an extra 25% off for all seniors on Tuesdays and for all service members on Thursdays (i.e. veterans, firemen, policemen and those in the military — thanks to all of you for your service!). Goodwill’s discounts vary by location, so check with your local store for discount dates and percentages. Another fun tip is that other thrift shops will discount an item based off the date of the item’s tag. For example, if you pick up an item that was tagged in October, and now it’s already January, it might be 30% off…or even more! Don’t be afraid to ask if there are any special discounts for that particular store.

(The sign in our local Goodwill, announcing what the color of the week is.)

2. When shopping at “mom and pop” shops…When it comes to shopping at non-chain thrift stores, most of them can negotiate with you. Mention that if you choose to purchase both items as opposed to just one item (for example), would they be willing to drop the price. Nine times out of ten, they’ll be completely open to taking less! Like my daddy always says, “The worst they can say is ‘no’.” 😉 And do your very best to let the seller name their desired price FIRST. What if they were going to take less than the price you named?? That would be a tragedy!

(The above pic is from a local thrift shop owned by a church in town. Similar to Goodwill, they also have a sign at the front door, informing shoppers of the store’s discounts. The phone pic below is something that I bought from them recently. I included the tag to show how the owners discount according to the tag’s date. )

3. Shop often. Thrift stores are constantly getting new inventory, so try to pop in often — on your way to pick up your kiddos from school, during your lunch break…or even in the evening, right after your children are in bed. You don’t need to take an hour in the store. Just walk quickly through each aisle. I usually try to allow about 10-20 minutes at a particular thrift shop a couple of times a week before heading to pick up my kiddos.

Isn’t this gumball machine the cutest thing ever?! Yep, I found it at a thrift store!

4. Shop early. For the best finds, be sure to arrive as soon as the doors open on any given day, but especially on Monday (in my opinion). Why Monday, you might ask? Well, for one, most families do all their “spring cleaning” on the weekends and end up making their donations on Sunday afternoon. So, there’s usually a fresh supply of items on Monday mornings. And of course, yard sales always happen on the weekends, which means more donations flow in on Mondays as a result. Also, some shops change over their discounts either on Sunday (such as our local Goodwill) or Monday. Shopping early will ensure you get first dibs.

5. Be patient. Don’t lose hope or get discouraged! That “steal of a deal” item that you’re searching for is out there specifically for you! I promise! But, in order to find that treasure that you’ve been really wanting, you have to be patient. There are many times that I’ve walked out of a store empty-handed. And that’s okay. Don’t give up! 😉

6. Visit thrift stores in high-end districts. I’m a little hesitant to share this tip, simply because I’ve found some seriously-great treasures at thrift stores that are located in the middle of nowhere. But I’ve also consistently found expensive items (e.g. a Limoges oval vegetable dish similar to this one for only $12!!) from stores located in nice areas.

I found this colorful cuckoo clock for pennies at one of my fave high-end thrift stores. You can read about that story here.

7. If you see an item that you really like, but aren’t sure where you’ll put it, go ahead and put it in your buggy….Don’t hesitate. That way, you can think about it while you look for other treasures in the store. You can always put it back if you change your mind. Trust me, this tip is a definite must. I’ve learned the hard way…. 🙁

Here are some clipboards that I bought at a thrift shop. At the time, I didn’t know what I was going to do with them, but I purchased them anyway. I’m so glad I did!

8. Don’t buy the item simply because it’s a good deal. Make sure you love it! There are so many good deals out there, and your time will come!

Here’s a sample of how I updated two lamps using a can of white spray paint and some Rub’N Buff.

I love, love, LOVE my collection of vintage hankies! I’ve picked up a variety of them from various thrift stores (and antiques stores) over the years. This “Spring banner” was so easy to make….Just simply tie the ends of each hanky together to make one long garland. 🙂

11. If it’s delapidated, look past its current state and see its potential! You can easily touch up or transform an item with chalk paint, a can of paint, or spray paint! Love the curves of a lamp, but hate the fabric on the shade?? No worries! Hot-glue some pretty fabric to the shade, maybe add some trim, and then spray-paint the lamp, and voila! You’ve got a beautiful new-to-you lamp! What about a cool, detailed frame, but the color and matting is just a terrible avocado color. Have no fear! Use a can of spray paint, and spray both the frame AND matting! Did you know you could spray the matte?? Well, yes you can! I love modern paint. 😉 Another idea for an ugly frame — Spray-paint the frame, and then apply some chalkboard paint to the glass to make a fun chalkboard! Yes! DIY is so exciting to me…especially when you can bring something back to life!

12. Be willing to dig! Wear gloves if you have to. 😉 But rummage through cluttered shelves and racks of junk at thrift stores….You never know what you’ll find! One time, when digging through the cluttered flatware drawers at a certain thrift store, I found a beautiful, MONOGRAMMED sterling silver serving spoon for $1.21. Not only that, the monogram was the first letter of our last name. Score! 🙂 You can imagine the excitement I felt in that moment!

Yes, I know. It’s still very much winter here in these parts of the woods, but my cold-blooded body has had enough already. I was ready for warm weather back in November! So, to help my mental-state-of-mind, I’ve brought in all kinds of Spring decor for our living room! I don’t care that it’s still winter! Out with the cold and in with the fresh sense of SPRING is what I say!!!

I love this mantel of ours. It has a mix of yard-sale and thrift-store finds! All those vintage hankies are part of my large hankie collection that I’ve picked up from various places over the past few months. They’re simply tied together to make one long train of a banner!

And what do you think about this vintage postcard (in the pic below)? Isn’t it precious?! I purchased it at a local antiques’ shop, and it’s postmarked April 3, 1908 from Danville, VA to a “Miss Etta Butcher.” (If someone knows a relative of hers, I’d be happy to give this card to them! Wouldn’t that be cool to find one of her family members?!) And I love the beautiful colors of this vintage china plate. The soft pastels help to bring out these fun spring colors of our living room!

And on the other side of our mantel sits a bamboo frame with fun artwork, an old swan that I spray-painted metallic gold, a brass candle holder with an aqua candle, and gorgeous embroidery that I cut up and framed. (The embroidery was on a very stained napkin, so what to do with the part that’s not stained? Cut it and frame it!)

On our coffee table sits a fun collection of decorating books. As you see in the pic below, I’ve placed my grandmother’s quilt that she hand-made for me when I was born. It definitely holds special meaning for me! She was such a great seamstress!

In the middle of our coffee table sits the really colorful globe that I picked up at a yard sale for $3! Doesn’t it perfectly bring out the blues and pinks around our living room?!

On one end of our white couch sits this pretty hand-stitched art work, “A true friend is a gift of God.” When I bought this art, the frame was actually black. No bueno. So I pulled out my Rub-N-Buff and went to town on the frame. It was so easy to just rub it on with a pouncer! The pink flowers and vase are from Ikea, and the vintage perfume busts are from Avon (purchased at a thrift store).

Next to this sweet vignette sits diy pillows and a blanket that tie it all together….

On the other side of our couch sits this Gothic American art work that I found at a Waffle House yard sale. Haha! Yes, our local Waffle House was having a yard sale in the parking lot, and I got this beauty for $1! The lamp is a diy project (found here), and the vintage, brass candle holder came from a local thrift store. (Surprise! Lol!)

When decorating, you want to make sure that even your remotes have a cute place to live. In my case, I’m — at the moment — storing them in a cute, white planter.

And lastly, I want to touch on my pillows. Pillows have a way of bringing in fun pops of color, and adding pretty details to them is so easy! I like to keep random fabric on hand, so that I can whip some together in no time! (For a couple of posts on diy pillows, you can see them here and here.) It’s nice to already have some fabric and trim on hand. 🙂

On our loveseat (above), I tucked a quilt on the seat part. (That quilt holds a special place in my heart, because that’s the quilt my honey and I were sitting on when we got engaged!)

I hope you enjoyed this post on adding touches of Spring! What colors are you planning to add to your home for Spring? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, or stop by Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, HomeTalk and Facebook and say hello! It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!

Hello friends! Thanks so much for stopping by! Today, I’d like to share with you my thrift-store score of the year and how I changed it from a dingy, old piece of furniture to something beautiful!

A few months ago, I found this antique headboard at one of my fave thrift stores for (drum roll, please!) $30!!! You read that right! It was old and boring, but I looked past that and saw that it had great bones and great potential!

Here’s the before pic…

Chalk paint is so easy to use! There’s no stripping, sanding or priming required, and because it doesn’t have smelly fumes, you can use it inside your home! Woohoo!

What I used for this project:

Rub N Buff

pouncer

foam sponge brush

blue painter’s tape

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I used two different colors of chalk paint….The base coat was the “Pure White” and the next coat was the “Old White.” And I applied two coats of each color. After that was complete, I taped off and painted the medallions.

Usually, when using chalk paint, applying a clear wax coat on top is so important. But since it’s just pillows that are leaning up against our new headboard, I skipped that step….And it’s held up great!

What do you think of this headboard of mine? I’m so pleased with it, and I love the freshness that it adds to our bedroom!

And what do you think about the diy lamps? If you’re interested in those, check this post out on how to make yard sale lamps look like a million bucks! And do you recognize the bedside tables? There’s a fun post on tweaking them just a small bit!

Thanks again for stopping by! I love your comments and encouraging words! You can comment below, or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!

Update: Hey y’all! Here’s an updated photo of our headboard and the Ikea dresser on my side of the bed. I recently shared it on Instagram. 😉 And if you’re interested to know….Yes, the chalk paint on the headboard has held up extremely well!

Hey sweet friends! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Before we begin, don’t forget to follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, so you don’t miss another post!

Today, I wanted to share with you a fun and inexpensive way to add a little pizazz to your home!

A few weeks back, when I was perusing one of my fave thrift stores, I noticed this trailer hitch cover for 99 cents and had to have it….I knew exactly what I was going to do with this beauty! I know, I know…He looks pretty boring and outdated. And yes, I definitely agree with you, but that’s the beauty of thrift-store shopping! You have to look past what you see at first glance and realize the potential of what this dull deer head can become!

Here’s a before pic…

Here’s what you’ll need:

First, spray paint your deer head. Don’t worry about taping off the antlers….The Rub N Buff will easily cover any of the white paint you get on your antlers. 🙂 Let dry overnight (i.e. if you’re planning to tape off the edges around your antlers, like I did.).

Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure to enjoy a few Krispy Kreme donuts while you paint….That melt-in-your-mouth goodness added a touch of magic!! (Meant to take that box out of the above picture…Oops!)

Once your white paint is dry, tape around your antlers, and, using your pouncer, spread the Rub N Buff on your antlers. This paint will take a little while to dry, so don’t touch it for at least a couple of hours….BUT be sure to take your tape off immediately, once you’re finished painting the gold onto the antlers!

So, what do you think about my trailer hitch turned gorgeous deer head?! I’m in love with it, and I hope you are, too! I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for stopping by!

Hey friends! Thanks for stopping by! Recently, I did a little redecorating in our Sunday School class at church, and most of the decorating was completed on a shoestring budget! (Thank you to my wonderful hubby for helping me paint….ehem…..actually for doing most of the painting!!) Today, I’d like to share with you one of those projects….transforming an old, dilapidated lamp shade into a beautiful accessory!

A few weeks ago, I picked up a huge lamp with the shade for $5….It worked just fine and the bones were beautiful, but it needed some major lovin’! Here’s a before pic….(I’m sorry I don’t have the shade on the lamp! I totally forgot to take a complete pic before I refinished it!)

After spray-painting the lamp base (tutorial on how to spray paint a lamp found here), I recovered the shade with some fabric that I had laying around the house. This project is super-quick, and you probably already have all 3 supplies that are needed!

Here’s what you’ll need:

fabric

hot glue gun and glue sticks (found at craft stores or Target/Walmart in the craft section)

scissors

1. Start out by laying your fabric face down on the floor. Place the shade on one end of the fabric, while leaving plenty of seam allowance (about 2 inches) on either side of your shade. And then roll your shade across the fabric to see how much you’ll need. (You can either trace the shade onto the fabric as you roll it, or you can just eyeball it….which is what I did.) Now, you can cut your fabric! BUT before you cut your fabric to size, PLEASE measure twice…no three times…before cutting! Not that I’ve ever cut my fabric too short….Ahem. 😉 Not fun to fix that problem!

2. After cutting your fabric, lay the shade about 2 inches away from the fabric’s edge. You are now ready to hot glue!

3. Place about a 6-inch line of hot glue along the inside edge of the shade (starting out on either the top or the bottom of the shade). Tightly fold your fabric over the shade and push down the fabric onto the hot glue, holding it in place for a few seconds. Keep doing this all the way around the shade while continuing to smooth out your fabric, on both the top and bottom. Also, if your shade is like mine, where the “spider-fitter” (or metal piece that connects your shade to the lamp) is at the top, carefully cut slits in the fabric, so that the fabric will fold over the shade correctly.

4. Once you’ve hot glued the fabric tightly AROUND the lamp shade, place a skinny strip of hot glue UP the outside part of the shade’s edge. (On a side note, you can either leave the edge raw….which is what I chose to do….or you can iron your seam to give it a finished look. But since my lamp was against a wall, I didn’t have to worry about the back edge.)

And there you have it! A beautiful shade that adds so much life! You can also take it a step further and add trim along the top and bottom edge for a more dramatic effect. What do you think of my lamp shade? Are you inspired to make a lifeless lamp look gorgeous again? If so, I’d love to hear about it! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. It always makes my day to hear from my awesome readers! 😉

Hello friends! For a few weeks, I’d been on the hunt for a pair of matching lamps for our master bedroom….Lamps that had pretty curves for the right price!

My goal was to get a steal of a deal…no more than $15 each….I realize that’s cheap, but I also knew that, with a little patience, I could find what I was looking for. So a few weeks ago, I found these beauties at a yard sale! The man was selling the lamps for $5 each. But since I wasn’t certain that the lamps worked, I offered $4 for the PAIR, and he said yes! Can you believe that?! I kept my fingers crossed, hoping that when I plugged them in at home, they’d actually turn on. Aaaaaand….they did! Score! Sometimes it doesn’t always work that way, but yay for times when it does!!

What you’ll need:

Krylon Colormaster spray paint (I used the ivory color.)

Rub’n Buff (at any craft store)

pouncer sponge

painter’s tape

drop cloth

Let me make it clear that I’m in no way a professional, so I’m sure there are other ways to go about this project, but this is just what has worked for me. 🙂 I generally wing it….My philosophy is that it doesn’t matter how you go about a project, as long as the finished result meets your standards!

So first, you’ll want to move to a well-ventilated area and tape off the lamp wires – at least a little – so they don’t turn white! 🙂

Next, spray away! The lamps will dry fairly quickly to handle…maybe 5 minutes or so. Once they were dry, I brought them inside, placed them on some paper towels (in case there were any areas that weren’t quite dry yet).

The lamp color almost looks white, doesn’t it?! But it’s the perfect shade!

Third, squirt a tiny amount of the the rub’n buff onto a paper plate….A little goes a very long way! Dip your pouncer sponge into the gold paint and, using a steady hand, gently slide your pouncer along the bottom edge of the lamp.

So there you have it. A quick, 10-minute project that adds a wow factor!

To top it off, I found my lamp shades at Target on clearance for $13.97 each! Woohoo for more good deals! Plus, these shades ultimately helped me to reach my goal of spending around $15 each on the lamps!

What do you think of my garage-sale lamps? I’d say spending $4 on a little risk was totally worth it! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, HomeTalk and Facebook. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!